Threshold

The threshold, the stone sill of a doorway, carried particular significance in ancient Near Eastern culture as a liminal boundary between the sacred and profane, or between one household and another. The priests of Dagon refused to step on the threshold of the Philistine temple after the idol fell before the ark of God, establishing a threshold-avoidance custom (1 Sam. 5:5). Keepers of the threshold were important temple officials responsible for the gates and contributions (2 Kings 22:4; 25:18).

In Ezekiel's vision, the threshold of the temple becomes a locus of divine glory and judgment (Ezek. 10:4; 43:8). Zephaniah condemns those who leap over the threshold (Zeph. 1:9), possibly referring to the Philistine superstition or to a practice of Baal worship. The threshold thus functions as a boundary marker with both physical and theological dimensions in biblical texts.